In recent years, a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material has been required to display a rapid processability and, particularly, to display such a rapid processing function as a super-rapid processing function performable within 45 seconds from Dry to Dry, in addition to a high sensitive speed, a high contrast, an excellent graininess, an image sharpness and so forth. Particularly, an X-ray photographic light-sensitive material for medical diagnostic use has been required to process it rapidly so that a decisive diagnosis can be made earlier. For example, a rapid processing has been inevitable for an angiography for which a catheter is inserted in a blood vessel and a contrast medium is injected at a high pressure therein, or for a under-operation photography in which an X-ray photograph is taken under operation.
As for a means for satisfying the above-mentioned requirements, a photographing, transporting, processing and so forth have been automated and, at the same time, a rapid processability has been tried to provide to a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material. However, a rapid process has had such a problem that an image quality is deteriorated by a high temperature (at 30.degree. to 40.degree. C.) and a high pH, a dryness has not been maintained by a high-speed transportation and a carry-over increase caused by a processing chemical.
For satisfying the above-mentioned requirements for a high image quality, tabular-shaped silver halide grains have recently been used. Tabular-shaped silver halide grains have a large specific surface area. It has, therefore, been observed that a color sensitization efficiency has been improved by a sensitizing dye, that is, the so-called covering power has been improved. Also, in a silver halide photographic light-sensitive material for X-ray photographic use, a cross-over light has remarkably been reduced and, at the same time, an image having a few light scattering and a high resolving power has also been obtained.
However, the above-mentioned tabular-shaped grains have had such a defective that a pressure fog has been produced, such as a blacked trouble produced by an external force such as a bent of an unexposed light-sensitive material in handling or a streaky fog produced by a member coming into contact with the grains in transportation through an automatic processor and so forth.
Therefore, the attempts have been studied so far to improve a pressure resistance by making use of various means. For example, some improvements thereof have been achieved by making use of an emulsion comprising a core/shell type silver halide having a highly silver iodide containing silver iodobromide phase inside the crystals of the grains. However, in the above-mentioned improvements, there has been such a defect that a trouble of clearing an image into white is produced, that is not be satisfiable.
When making use of a binder component in an amount necessary for improving a scratch resistance, a processabilities including, particularly, a dryness and carry-over are seriously deteriorated.
As for a means for improving a blackening trouble, U.S. Pat. No. 3,632,342 discloses a means of adding a latex with the purpose of moderating an external pressure. When a latex is added to a silver halide emulsion layer in the above-mentioned means, sensitometric characteristics such as a sensitive speed, a gamma, the maximum density and fogginess are seriously deteriorated in preservation.
When adding it to a protective layer, an antistaticity is seriously deteriorated so as to produce a static mark, or to cause a transportation failure due to the stickiness of a film to another film.
After making various studies on the invention, it was discovered not only that an antistaticity and a stickiness prevention can be improved together with improving a scratch resistance, but also that any sensitometric characteristics cannot be deteriorated, when a polymer latex of the invention is added to a protective layer.
It was amazed to find out that, as a film surface is modified by applying a latex of the invention to a protective layer, an adhering amount of water drops can be reduced after completing a washing step and, resultingly, a dryness can be remarkably improved.